Betty Thompson

Betty Thompson (1934-1994) was a Canadian television presenter who spent most of her career at CKCO-TV in Kitchener, Ontario. She was seen throughout Canada as host of CTV's version of Romper Room, a children's programme produced at CKCO's studios.

She was born in Walkerton, Ontario, raised in Peterborough, Ontario and studied broadcasting at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. She was married twice and had three daughters, Susan, Patricia and Judith.

The annual Betty Thompson Golf Classic began in 1992 as a financial support for breast cancer education and research.[1] She would die from this disease in 1994, four years after diagnosis. During her lifetime, Thompson would contribute to many charitable and community causes, particularly in Kitchener and its region.[2] The causes included Oktoberfest and Big Sisters.[3]

During the four years she suffered from cancer, she openly discussed her disease, and was an advocate for its treatment.[4][5] The Betty Thompson Youth Centre, which opened in 1996[6][7][8] and has been run by Lutherwood since late 2000,[9] is named after her.[10]

CKCO career

Betty began her career at CKCO in 1956, following graduation from Ryerson. Initially she was hired to write commercials which were performed live. After leaving the station for a teaching career, she returned in 1971.[11] In 1972-1975 she became the first host of national edition of Romper Room as "Miss Betty" airing on the CTV Television Network,[12] she returned in 1992 for a 20th anniversary special.[13] She also hosted other shows such as Ladies First, The Flower Spot, Be My Guest,[14] Tempo Ontario, Betty and Friends, numerous magazine shows,[15] parades,[16] and appeared at the Canadian National Exhibition.[17] In 1992 she became the station's community relations coordinator.[18]

Awards and recognition
  • 1990: Kitchener Mayor's Dinner Honouree[19]
  • --: Rotary Club of Kitchener Paul Harris Fellow
  • 1991: Kitchener-Waterloo Citizen of the Year by the twin-cities' Junior Chamber of Commerce[20][21]
  • 1992: Kitchener-Waterloo Cancer Society's fund raising campaign honorary chair
  • 1995: Waterloo Region Hall of Fame Inductee[22]
  • 2007: Waterloo 150 Project - "Profiles of the Past, Present and Future: Waterloo at 150"[23]
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References
  1. Mosgrave, Jane (16 October 2000). "Zonta working for women". Cambridge Reporter. p. A3.
  2. "Broadcaster, volunteer, Betty Thompson dies". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. 11 April 1994. p. B1.
  3. Latif, Anam (12 April 2015). "Local charity celebrating 25 years: Founded by the late Betty Thompson, Best Friends continues to fundraise for various causes". Waterloo Region Record. p. B3.
  4. Malleck, Bonnie (11 September 1991). "Thompson's fight with breast cancer adds poignancy to CKCO program". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. F2.
  5. Ford, Barbara (21 August 1992). "There's no better time than fall to get fit". The Windsor Star. p. C11.
  6. "$4,000 goes to youth centre". The Record. 21 February 1995. p. B1.
  7. Wood, Dianne (22 April 1995). "Homeless youth, runaways to get downtown shelter". The Record. p. B2.
  8. Wood, Dianne (29 March 1996). "Downtown youth centre officially opens its doors". The Record. p. B2.
  9. Goodwin, Carol (15 December 2001). "Celebration with a sparkle; Betty Thompson Youth Centre marks 1st anniversary of reopening". The Record. p. B4.
  10. "Our History". Lutherwood. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  11. Flanagan, Ryan (17 May 2012). "100 years, 100 people: Arts and media". Kitchener Post. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  12. Shaw, Ted (18 March 1992). "Magic mirror on learning : Romper Room marks 20 years of "do bees' and "don't bees'". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. C12.
  13. Riches, Hester (18 March 1992). "Children's programming takes a creative turn". The Vancouver Sun. p. C7.
  14. Shaw, Ted (28 April 1987). "Of swansongs, round robins and war toys". Windsor Star. p. D7.
  15. Malleck, Bonnie (13 April 1994). "CBC interviews focus on family, fertility: Loss and grieving explored with compassion". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. E2.
  16. "This week's specials". Toronto Star. 23 June 1979. p. 20. 125th Anniversary Parade - Bill Inkol and Betty Thompson host the city of Kitchener's 125th anniversary parade.
  17. "Today's events at CNE". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. 25 August 1982. p. 5.
  18. Hoffman, Susan (8 July 2000). "Youth, women benefited from Thompson's vision". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. A18.
  19. Denney, Frances L. (12 March 1991). "Mayor's Dinner aids worthy causes". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. D2.
  20. Crone, Greg (20 December 1991). "Broadcaster to receive title, Citizen of Year". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. B1.
  21. Terol, Marg (24 January 1992). "Friends and fans say thanks to Citizen of Year". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. B1.
  22. "Region Hall of Fame - Inductees - S to V". Waterloo Region Museum. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  23. "Waterloo 150 Project - Betty Thompson" (PDF). Waterloo Public Library. Retrieved 27 February 2017.


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